Mah: The Mother Child

I have a theory that each of the Elder Gods have their own personalities, which are stated in the elder chronicles found on Freneskae. In the case of Mah, her chronicle entries say "the child is full of wonder, imagination and innocence". This can be shown when she created Zaros and Seren to be toys of sorts, to keep her company because the other Elders left her alone.

It might even be shown in Fate of the Gods 2, when she tries to make her own universe.

Zaros and Seren may have inherited some of the childlike traits she carried, and they both represent potential in a similar way to her. I believe that Zaros represents the curious and exploring side of the child, as he wanted to go out into the universe and fill it with wonder. He also resented the fact that he felt shackled by the creation of Seren, and the feeling of addictive love she gives off. There is an innocence to Zaros in my opinion, as he's analytical and wasn't even aware of good and evil until he met Saradomin. This may be seen to some as the "dark" side of the child Mah represents.

Seren, on the other hand, could be the "light" side of the child. She is shown to be loving, caring and empathetic, and she wanted to help Mah as much as she could. But being emotionally driven and not putting as much thought into things as Zaros would, she is probably more prone to making mistakes, like the Song of Creation. She has also had attachments with Guthix and the elves, a trait that can be shared with a lot of children. Depending on whether or not the Dark Lord was included in her return, a certain innocence can be retained, and Eluned has been innocent her whole life as an "elf". The potential Seren represents comes in the form of harmony, as it helps with the Anima Mundi and unlocks the potential of a whole group or species, as with the elves.Prepare for hell on RuneScape in Naval Cataclysm!

I have also noticed that Seren shares a curiosity with Zaros, as she made Haluned to extend herself and Eluned to see the world through the eyes of a mortal, to re-explore Tirannwn. This is shown when she came up with the idea of sharing her essence with the elves through music which resulted in the Song of Creation, and infusing her crystals with energy from the Death Altar.

Likewise, Zaros has a caring side to his personality as he sees wonder in mortals and wants to protect and watch them grow. He cares for Seren as a sister even when he confessed there was a resentment between them (arguments are quite normal with siblings in general, so they share similarities with mortals, and without the ego boost from gods that ascended). This is also shown when Seren says: "I distrust, despise and sometimes even hate my brother Zaros...but I also love him." Zaros refuses to say anything about her in Fate of the Gods, but I can understand this comes with a resentment mixed with sibling feelings.

Not only did Seren experience problems with her ability to instill love, but Zaros had trouble with his own ability too, and it can cause problems for him in the future. After DAT, Zamorak tells the player of how Zaros "invaded my mind". He seems to think it was a mind control magic that Zaros cast on him, but I think Zamorak just caught wind of this aura after having spent a long time away from him. This would give him time to think of how chaos helps everything grow, and that he spent most of his time away fighting in war. That could've been the basis behind him attacking Zaros.

In fact, the Mahjarrat themselves could have inherited some of the traits Mah carried as they are her dreams. Wonder could have been the start of Zamorak's philosophy by setting fire to a plant and watching seeds grow, and many of the other Mahjarrat run experiments of their own. Bilrach set out to explore the Rift by himself, and Enakhra seems nearly smitten with Zamorak.Prepare for hell on RuneScape in Naval Cataclysm!

There are other Mahjarrat which I believe to have inherited some of Mah's childlike qualities. Azzanadra seemed eager at the chance to explore the Elder Halls and liked the idea of exploring the observation crystals in JasKra's chamber. An eagerness to learn is one of Zaros' main traits as well. I think that Wahisietel is the youngest Zarosian Mahjarrat, maybe slightly older than Khazard, and that Azzanadra as one of the oldest and most powerful of his kind may have tried to protect his innocence by not telling him about Zaros' return. It might have meant that Wahisietel would have had to learn about the Revision and Zaros' relationship with Seren, which may shock him.

It's common for children to attach themselves to something of a particular form, like an animal. Akthanakos fits this as he found himself endeared by camels, in a somewhat similar way to Seren being endeared by the elves and adopting them as her own "children". Sliske likes a theatrical theme like some kids might, and is quite playful.

In Zaros' memoriam device, he says about the four paths the other Elders separated at and built by themselves:

"Lacking my creator's knowledge, each of her sisters has separated to build their own worlds - perhaps in an effort to learn what they have lost in the absence of Mah?"

This suggests that Mah, while maybe not the main leader of the Elders - she was the youngest and weakest - was well trusted due to her instincts, and draws a parallel to Lucy from the Na*nia stories.Prepare for hell on RuneScape in Naval Cataclysm!

Zaros also claimed that ascending to Elder Godhood was his birthright, and that being born with the loyalty pheromone

"wasn't enough. I could command her feeble muspah, but I was still nothing but a toy to her."

A lot of people may think of this as proof that Zaros is some power hungry lunatic out to take over the universe, but I think he sees transcending as growing up, in a sense. He still sees himself as a boy trying to mature and become a man, something he hasn't really done yet as he was born a tier 2 god and remains so. Mortals grow far more quickly, especially children and those who ascended to gods themselves such as Saradomin and Zamorak, and this rapid growth as well as the massive variety in form and even personality, is something that fascinates him. The potential Zaros represents could be this growth.

Seren is, in a way, a "mother child" like Mah is. She tried her best to nurture Mah while she was ill, and taught the Mahjarrat their rituals to keep Mah from suffering too much and also to prevent her from destroying Freneskae and possibly killing herself. And then she left to get help from the other Elders. Seren applied her motherly love to the elves on Tarddiad after being fascinated by them, in a similar way to Zaros when he found mortals with vast potential for growth. Finding that the elves worked in harmony with the nature of Tarddiad, Seren had the idea that harmony was the best way to reach full potential. Her emotional nature proves that there is still an imprint of the child within her, willing to learn and explore as well as taking care of her family.Prepare for hell on RuneScape in Naval Cataclysm!

A feeling of family is another key ingredient in childhood, and plays a part in Serenist, Zarosian and Zamorakian culture. Seren sees her elves as her adopted children and has grown attached to them and to Guthix due to her loving nature and childlike qualities inherited from Mah. Zaros intended to leave his empire to the Mahjarrat and let Azzanadra and Zamorak rule as kings while he was away tending to the Elder God problem. And there are Zamorakians who have somewhat familial ties with each other, such as Khazard, Hazeel, and even Moia.

Khazard is the youngest Mahjarrat, being born towards the end of the Third Age, and his mother Pal*eera died in combat. He never knew his father, but Hazeel took him in and mentored him. It is also shown that Hazeel was thought of by Zamorak as a brother figure. And Moia turned to Zamorak after suffering centuries of abuse from her own father Lucien, and came to call him "the father I never had".

Even the Furies want to avenge their third sister who was killed by Gregorovic, but were ordered to take out Vindicta first.

Seren admits that she loves Zaros as he's her brother and calls him "the only person...living...that can truly understand me." And Zaros hopes that they can get on good terms. She even considers that he might have changed after he 'died'. The fact that she doesn't say anything bad about him in her memoriam device, and that he opens up a little after The Light Within, shows that Zaros and Seren might indeed have happy memories about each other. She may have been reminded of such memories when Haluned reached the Death Altar for the first time.Prepare for hell on RuneScape in Naval Cataclysm!

As an analytical being, Zaros claims that everything falls into a spectrum, where there isn't anything purely good or purely evil. He even says about Saradomin:

"Everything to him is either black or white, but he himself exists in the grey."

Since Saradomin was a human before he ascended to godhood and would therefore have likely carried his human thoughts with him, it can be assumed that it's normal for humans to differentiate between good and evil in a way which Zaros might be incapable of. It also shows that although Zaros disagrees with Saradomin, he doesn't call him a monster either, which is proven in Death of Chivalry where Saradomin resurrects Sir Owen as partly, not fully, corrupted. This indiscriminate way of thinking may have been a part of Mah's own personality as well.

As Seren attached herself to Mah, the elves and Guthix, Mah herself may have been attached to the other Elders as they are her sisters. She might even have been attached to Zaros and Seren after they were created, and might even have suffered "love sickness" when the other Elders left thinking she was dead, and when Zaros left her and Seren. Seren may have suffered a type of "love sickness" after that event too, as she strictures him quite a lot when faced with the Shard of Zaros and when the player talks to her about him.

The revision that Mah could be planning in Fate of the Gods 2 may be a type of revenge or rebellion against her sisters for leaving her behind.

I believe that Mah's true personality is a mix of childlike innocence and imagination, a liking for adventure, fondness for her loved ones, and a myriad of raw emotions.Prepare for hell on RuneScape in Naval Cataclysm!